The Power of Memories
by Kristen3
Summary: Set in "Ebbtide IV: The Wrath of Stan." During their night in the "slum" apartment, Stan tries one more time to get Dorothy to give him another chance. Will she give in? One-shot written as a gift for Allie (Allison Lindsay). Rating is for adult language/themes.


**Author's Note:** I'm a lifelong GG fanatic, but I've rarely attempted to write for the show. However, it being Allie ( **Allison Lindsay** )'s birthday, I decided to try writing a Dorothy/Stan story in her honor. I love their relationship, and the banter and the will they/won't they, so I thought it'd be fun to write. I hope I've got them in character here. Please enjoy, and reviews are greatly appreciated!

Dorothy awoke, confused. Where was she? This didn't make any sense. Even more shocking was the fact that Stan was sound asleep beside her. But it didn't take long to remember they were in an apartment of the building they co-owned. Stan kept reminding her how the place resembled their first apartment in Brooklyn. He had hoped that rekindling those memories would lead to something. At first, Dorothy had resisted. But when he returned from buying the wine, something had changed. After a few glasses, it was harder to remember all the things Stan had done wrong.

Very carefully, Dorothy got out of the lower bunk. There wasn't much furniture here. They were lucky to have a chair and a table. Dorothy made her way to the table. On it sat the bottle of wine from last night. It was now almost empty.

But there was something there that clearly hadn't been there when Dorothy went to bed. It was a card. The front showed a puppy, with a red heart in his mouth. When Dorothy opened it, she found that Stan had actually written a message inside.

 _Dorothy_ -

 _I know this isn't the best of circumstances, but maybe it's fate. Maybe we were sent here, to this tiny apartment, in order to remember how we started out. I think it's worth a second chance. Even though I know I've made some mistakes, you're still the love of my life._

\- Stan

Dorothy looked from the card to the bald man still asleep in their bed. It was hard to believe he'd written these words. It was a side of him she'd rarely seen.

Suddenly, Stanley began to stir. "Hey, Babe. Morning."

Still in shock over the card, Dorothy decided not to say anything about it till she'd had time to think. She always seemed to have a weakness for him, even though she knew being with him again would be a huge mistake. "Morning, Stan."

"Well, our fist night in this place wasn't so bad, was it?" Stan asked as he got out of bed.

Dorothy shook her head. "But there are certain things from home I miss. You know, like having more than one room to live in."

"Oh, come on. This is sort of cozy." Stan came over to her, putting his arms around Dorothy.

Dorothy was about to tell him to get away from her, but she realized she liked the way this felt. "Oh, Stan."

"I see you got my card," he said.

"Yes," Dorothy admitted. "It's a bit of a shock. Do you really think one night is enough to get me to rethink our whole relationship?"

"Come on, Dorothy. How long are you going to hold the past over me? I was an idiot, we both know that. But I've changed since then. So have you."

"I have," Dorothy agreed. "I like my life now. I have Ma, and Rose and Blanche. It might not make sense to other people, but we're there for each other. That's not something I could ever get from you."

"Yeah," Stan admitted. "But I can also give you things they can't. Like last night."

Suddenly, Dorothy remembered some of what had happened last night. The alcohol made it hard to recall all of the details, but she knew Stan hadn't had to force her into bed. She'd gone willingly. Just as she had as a teenager. "This is crazy," she finally said, once her rational mind took over. "I mean, yes, last night was wonderful, but do I really want to mess up a life that I'm perfectly happy with? And what about you, Stan? Are you saying you're really willing to give up all the twenty-year-old stewardesses?"

Stan sighed. "Dorothy! I mean, yes, they were fun for a while. I can't deny that. But you and I have a history together. I could never have that with some young bimbo."

"You say that now, Stanley. But what happens six months from now, when you get tired of me? I know you, you love the chase. You've never known how to be in a relationship with a woman. That's always been your problem."

"What, now in addition to being a substitute teacher, you're also a shrink?" Stan asked.

"It's just that I know you. You always seem to forget that. You just remember all the good times. You conveniently forget all the nights I sat up with the kids, waiting for you to come home. Telling them you had an important business meeting. You were a novelty salesman. You didn't even _have_ meetings! You were off screwing some woman who was young enough to be your daughter!" Suddenly, anger filled Dorothy. These were things she'd been holding onto for years, and it felt good to finally let them out.

"Dorothy, what is going on here? Last night, you were perfectly happy. Now you're acting like you might kill me!"

"Well, I can't deny that part of me wants to. But I can't do that. Prison would make this place look like a palace."

There was a noise outside the apartment door. Apparently, the exterminators had showed up. Dorothy went and peeked her head out, to see what was going on.

"Morning, Ma'am," said a young man who was setting up traps for the bugs. "Hope we didn't disturb you. It seems the bug problem in this place isn't really as bad as we thought it was. We found where the bugs were getting in, and we've sealed off the hole. All we've got to do now is kill the ones that are here, and this place'll be good as new!"

"You mean we can leave?" Dorothy asked, not even bothering to hide her excitement.

"Well, we'll have to wait for the city inspector, but I'm sure it won't take longer than a couple more hours."

Dorothy closed the door. "You hear that, Stanley? We'll be out of here in no time."

"Dorothy, come on. Are you really still so angry with me?"

"Yes. If you had taken care of this place like you were supposed to, none of this would've ever happened."

"Babe, I'm sorry. How many times do I need to say that?"

"Just for this, or for everything?" Dorothy asked, glaring at him.

"Everything. I really am doing my best here."

Something in Stan's expression made Dorothy's anger waver just a little. "All right, Stan, I'll level with you. A part of me does want to be with you. I mean, memories can be very powerful. But the bigger part of me knows it would be a mistake. We've almost gotten back together several times, but it never works. No matter how many times we try, or what we do differently, the outcome is always going to be the same. I'm sorry. I just don't see how this can work."

Without a word, Dorothy began gathering her things to go home. She was glad the ordeal was over. But as she was packing up, she caught a glimpse of the card on the table. In a way, she was grateful for this experience. The anger toward Stanley had been building for years. But now, she finally felt free.

"Goodbye, Stan." She walked over to him, kissing his cheek. "You've given me a lot of memories. Some good, some bad. But thank you. I can't go on being angry with you. It's just not worth it."

"All right, if that's the way you want it. No matter what happens, I'll always love you."

"I know," Dorothy said, squeezing his hand. She hoped, one day, he'd give up chasing women and try to settle down again. He might make someone happy someday, if he grew up. But she realized it really didn't matter anymore. She had a job, and friends she could count on. She had everything she needed. Stanley Zbornak was part of her past now. That was where he belonged.

 **The End**


End file.
